Greek Ph.D. Reading List

This list is intended to help you prepare for the Greek PhD preliminary examination. That exam is a test of your competence in Greek and your familiarity with the field of Greek literature, rather than a test on this list. Read as much as you can in preparation, in the knowledge that acquaintance with all of these texts constitutes preparation for a career in Classics.

MA students planning to continue to a PhD are strongly encouraged to take a PhD-level exam, even while registered in the MA program. An MA student who takes the PhD exam and passes it at the PhD level (85% or higher) will, as a result, be qualified for their MA (pending satisfactory fulfillment of the other MA requirements) and be considered to have passed the Greek PhD preliminary exam, if they continue into the PhD program at this institution. A pass mark of 95% or higher on the PhD-level exam results in a pass with distinction. An MA student who passes a PhD-level exam at the MA level (75% - 84%) may earn their MA on that basis, pending satisfactory fulfillment of the other MA requirements, but would be required to re-take the Greek PhD preliminary exam if admitted to the PhD program.

The exam will consist of two sections: A. Translation; B. Passage analysis:

A. The translation section will consist of two out of three passages of poetry and two out of three passages of prose to be translated, all to be drawn from the reading list. Each poetry passage will be ca. 20-25 lines in length, and the prose passages of a length corresponding to that.

B. The analysis section will require exam-takers to discuss one out of two passages of prose and one out of two passages of poetry, all to be drawn from the reading list.

Instructions as they appear on the exam paper are given below.

Substitutions to the present list: students may propose substitutions of equivalent difficulty and length; these substitutions would need to be approved by the ACGS in consultation with the graduate committee.

As you read the texts, we recommend supplementing your reading by background reading in one of the standard literary histories, e.g. T. Whitmarsh (2004) Ancient Greek Literature, Cambridge, P. E. Easterling and B. M. W. Knox, eds. (1989) The Cambridge History of Classical Literature, Cambridge (volume 1), or A. Lesky (1966) A History of Greek Literature, New York. You will find both of these in HUMN 350. No Classics library books should leave their respective rooms! Further advice on secondary reading on individual authors is available from faculty.

Instructions as they appear on the exam:

Ia. Translation: Prose. Translate two of the following passages into accurate and idiomatic English. 

Ib. Translation: Poetry. Translate two of the following passages into accurate and idiomatic English. 

II.  Select one of the following two passages of poetry in (a) and one of the two passages of prose in (b), and write an analytical essay on each.  If you can, identify the author, work, and location of the passage within the work; the author’s date, historical milieu, and the context of the passage or work within the author's career; speakers and others referred to directly or indirectly; and places, events, or other important points of reference.  Comment on significant themes as well as formal features such as meter or rhythm, dialect, and genre; if possible identify the performance venue, occasion, or intended readership. Paraphrase is not necessary and should not be used for its own sake, but you may use it to support interpretation of the text.

Greek Ph.D. Readling List